Choose the Right Synonym for purpose

Noun

intention, intent, purpose, design, aim, end, object, objective, goal mean what one intends to accomplish or attain. intention implies little more than what one has in mind to do or bring about.
announced his intention to marry intent suggests clearer formulation or greater deliberateness.
the clear intent of the statute purpose suggests a more settled determination.
being successful was her purpose in life design implies a more carefully calculated plan.
the order of events came by accident, not designaim adds to these implications of effort directed toward attaining or accomplishing.
her aim was to raise film to an art form end stresses the intended effect of action often in distinction or contrast to the action or means as such.
willing to use any means to achieve his endobject may equal end but more often applies to a more individually determined wish or need.
his constant object was the achievement of pleasure objective implies something tangible and immediately attainable.
their objective is to seize the oil fields goal suggests something attained only by prolonged effort and hardship.
worked years to reach her goals

Examples of purpose in a Sentence

Noun

Shocking as it is, more than a month after the hurricane hit, New Orleans is still, for all practical purposes, a ghost town.— Tom Piazza, Why New Orleans Matters, 2005By the time … American aid began pouring in, to all intents and purposes the war had already been lost.— Neil L. Jamieson, Understanding Vietnam, 1993But wartime wage and price controls prevented companies from competing for the available talent by means of increased salaries. They had to compete with fringe benefits instead, and free health insurance was tailor-made for this purpose.— John Steele Gordon, American Heritage, May - June 1992His purpose is to realize himself, to live the fullest possible life, and he is responsible for this, like all men, regardless of how society treats him.— Shelby Steele, Wilson Quarterly, Summer 1990
The purpose of the new resort is to attract more tourists.
The loans are small but they serve a good purpose.
Sometimes his life seemed to lack purpose or meaning.
We started work again with a renewed sense of purpose.

Verb

I have not purposed to misrepresent this boy in any way, for what little indignation he excited in me soon passed and left nothing behind it but compassion.— Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad, 1880The child then explained that they had left the races on the first day, and were travelling to the next town on that road, where they purposed to spend the night.— Charles Dickens, The Old Curiosity Shop, 1841
I've been purposing to fix that thing for some time now.

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'purpose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.